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Investments are another way for Sims to earn money over the course of The Sims 3. It is comprised of Partnerships and Ownership of community lots. Both of which will put big holes in a Sim's wallet but, over time, will pay for themselves if collected on a regular basis.

Once a Sim has partnered (Become a Partner) or become an owner (Buy out Property) a Partner's Deed or Owner's Deed will be moved into the Sims inventory. Upon installing the original Sims (without patches), the deeds will be separate items in a Sim's inventory. In version 1.3, deeds will form a stack in the inventory, which will have a "Collect All" interaction. Deeds can be transferred between Sims of the same family at anytime (by dragging them out of a Sim's backpack into another Sim), and are automatically transferred to a relative when a Sim dies. However, if a Sim moves out of the household while carrying the deed, the household loses the ownership or partnership of the house, but can be bought back for the original price.

In the updated The Sims 3, deeds are no longer used. Instead, when in Map View, establishments with a special sign symbolize ownership. Instead of establishments, Sims can also buy real estate like parks, gyms, etc. Sims can either enter a business establishment (rabbit hole) or visit the City Hall to buy any real estate, and can also easily buy both business and real estate through the internet or phone. The only lots that cannot be bought are residential lots, empty community lots, City Hall, and the Police Station.

Sims must invest in Partnership first before they are eligible for Ownership. So, Total Cost of Ownership includes both Cost of Partnership and Cost of Ownership.

Money has to be collected from their respective locations, hence traveling will be needed. Locations like V.I.P. Lounges, Dive Bars, and other Late Night estates do not need to be open in the morning in order to collect the money, as the sim only has to stand on the lot for a few in-game minutes.

A sim can own an establishment where careers are available, yet it will have no effect on promotions/demotions. (E.G. Sims who own a certain establishment and is constantly missing work can still be fired.). Bosses will still be selected randomly based on the current workers (A sim cannot have a housemate as a boss, but can have a relative from a different household.), but by owning an establishment, the sim has the power to fire anyone at anytime and can rename the building. Firing workers, however, is at the expense of the relationship between the owner and that employee, and can lead to a very low relationship. They cannot fire the owner (which would be themselves), or the last employee of a business.

The real estate system, introduced in Patch 12, allows Sims to use the computer or the phone to purchase community lots. The player can then upgrade it and with the upgrades receive more profits. The class of upgrades are symbolized by three stars being the maximum, and one star being the lowest. A certain Net Worth or Total Cost of creating a community lot can affect its upgrading level (E.G. Galleries need at least 200,000 to have a three-star upgrade), while some lots have specific requirements (E.G. Graveyards need two mausoleums to be upgraded to a level higher than one).